5 Things To Know For Your New Day – Thursday, January 16

A bit experimental? European companies that make lethal drugs have banned them for use in executions in the United States. Now, an Ohio man is set to be put to death today by a two-drug cocktail that has never been used. No one knows exactly how Dennis McGuire will die, a death penalty expert said. His lawyers contend that the mixture of midazolam, a sedative, and hydromorphone, a painkiller, will cause him to suffocate in agony and terror. McGuire was convicted in 1994 of the brutal murder of Joy Stewart

2. BRIDGE SUBPOENAS

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee”: That message is attributed to Bridget Anne Kelly, a former close aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. A special State Assembly committee investigating the closing of the nation’s busiest bridge – possibly as an act of political retribution – wants to hear from her. First priority, when committee gets to work today, is to issue subpoenas for people close to the governor and for more documents, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. That message allegedly kicked off the giant mess that crippled traffic in Fort Lee. The mayor there, a Democrat, had declined to endorse the Republican governor for re-election.

3. NUCLEAR CHEATING

The proverbial finger on the button: Air force officers who work around the country’s nuclear arsenal have to take proficiency exams. Nearly three dozen of them at a base in Montana are now caught up in a cheating scandal involving those tests. Sixteen of the officers were found to have actually cheated, but 18 more knew what they were up to and didn’t turn them in. But this is actually one scandal piled on top of another: A separate drug investigation brought the cheating scandal to light. Two officers implicated in it were also involved in the cheating. All 34 lost their certification to conduct nuclear operations, and the Air Force says the nation’s nuclear arsenal is secure. This is one in a string of scandals for the country’s nuke handlers